Associate, Financial Crimes Compliance

Vestwell•Austin, TX

5d•$60,000 - $70,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Vestwell is the financial technology company powering the new savings economy. Our platform redefines how people save for the critical aspects of life across retirement, education, and healthcare savings needs. Vestwell's platform serves a diverse clientele, including financial advisers, employers, third-party administrators, financial institutions, payroll providers, financial institutions, payroll providers, government agencies, and individual savers. Vestwell is seeking a Financial Crimes Compliance Associate to be part of our growing Legal and Compliance Team. In this role you will take ownership of day-to-day fraud detection and anti-money laundering operations across all three of our business lines to manage fraud risk and comply with regulatory requirements. You will report to the Manager of Financial Crimes Compliance and will work cross-functionally and in close collaboration with our Client, Operations and Services Teams. The role will have a significant impact by understanding, analyzing and controlling key risk for the company as we continue to scale. As a Financial Crimes Compliance Associate, you will serve as a strategic, exempt individual contributor responsible for monitoring, analyzing, and mitigating financial crime risk. This role requires independent judgment, strong analytical skills, and the ability to interpret and apply regulatory requirements to protect the company and its clients. You will collaborate across teams to ensure accurate escalation, investigation, and resolution of suspicious activity while supporting compliance initiatives.

Requirements

A Bachelor's degree in business, finance and/or criminal justice
Experience performing fraud detection or anti-money laundering functions.
Comfort working in a fast-paced start-up environment with a substantial degree of autonomy.
Exceptional analytical and detail-oriented aptitude; a high degree of accuracy is required.
Strong critical-thinking skills, with the ability to analyze information, identify patterns, and make sound, evidence-based decisions.
Ability to manage time effectively, set priorities, and meet deadlines.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Proficiency with productivity tools, especially JIRA.
Experience with research tools like LexisNexis.

Nice To Haves

Experience working at a financial institution or fintech or high growth startup.
Experience drafting SARs or responding to FinCEN 314(a) requests.
Familiarity with identity-verification platforms such as Plaid or Persona.

Responsibilities

Analyze daily high-risk fraud indicators and surveillance reports to identify suspicious activity, applying critical thinking and regulatory knowledge to assess potential risk.
Identify emerging fraud patterns and trends, and communicate them for adaptations to reporting and training materials.
Interpret applicable financial crimes and anti-money laundering regulations, applying them to business operations and client activity to ensure compliance and mitigate risk.
Review, research, and respond to escalated surveillance and screening alerts. Prepare detailed escalation memos to alert clients or internal stakeholders of potential suspicious activity.
Partner with Client, Operations, and Services Teams to track, research, and resolve inquiries, complaints, and escalations related to potential financial crimes.
Maintain accurate records of suspicious activity investigations and prepare data for management and client reporting.
Collaborate on improving procedures, workflows, and platform features to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of security reviews. Support Legal and Compliance team initiatives to scale financial crime mitigation strategies.
Exercise discretion and analytical judgment when reviewing alerts, escalating issues, and recommending procedural or operational improvements.